pressing on...things I learned from running a half-marathon

There are lots of like-minded individuals out there. There were over 5000 today.

It's really freakin' cold at 6 in the morning in February in downtown Birmingham.

Training would be useful for next time.

No matter how much clothing you wear when you run, you'll warm up best by just running.

If it weren't a matter of my legs getting sore/stiff, I really believe I could have run the full marathon at a ten-minute mile pace today. I wasn't even breathing hard at the end. That knowledge is really heartening.

I like chocolate and berry-flavored Gu. Vanilla bean, not so much.

Running 13.1 miles generates some of the worst B.O. known to man.

It's a lot easier to walk down stairs backwards when your legs hurt as badly as mine do right now.

It's awesome to be able to eat a whole medium pizza for dinner and still quite possibly be calorie-negative for the day.

I've got my medal and my finisher's hat, but I think that my biggest thrill was being able to put a "13.1" magnet on my truck, and know I earned it - running the whole way.

My wife is awesome for coming out and cheering for me in the aforementioned freezing temperatures. For that matter, everyone else who stood outside and cheered is awesome too.

I've come a long way in nine months - from couch to 13.1 miles.

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things I learned from running a half-marathon

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